Holmgren rides high

RENTON, Wash. – After promising that he would ride out of town on a Harley-Davidson, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren nearly did on Friday afternoon.

At the conclusion of what is expected to go down as his final practice with the Seahawks, Holmgren was surprised by a gift from his players. As veteran receiver Bobby Engram stood next to Holmgren and addressed the team at the Seahawks’ indoor practice facility, a garage-like door opened and offensive lineman Mike Wahle drove in on a brand new, 2009 Limited Edition Screaming Eagle Harley-Davidson with all the bells and whistles.

The motorcycle was then presented to Holmgren, who hopped aboard and drove toward the exit while shouting: “See you all later!”

Holmgren, who will coach his final game with the team Sunday, eventually got off the bike and expressed his gratitude.

“The players and coaches all chipped in, and I know how much those things cost,” Holmgren said of a motorcycle that has an estimated value at around $40,000. “I’m touched by it. It’s really a nice Christmas present.”

Engram would not say who came up with the idea, nor get into specifics about how it was purchased, but he did say the gift was well-deserved.

“We tried to give him something special,” Engram said. “I mean, what do you give a guy who has it all? We didn’t want to give him something cheesy. It’s something for him to remember. It’s something he’s honestly going to appreciate for a lot of years.”

Holmgren has been a Harley enthusiast for most of his adult life. He owned at least one motorcycle before receiving Friday’s gift, and used to ride it during free afternoons at training camp.

“Coach deserves it, we all know that,” Engram said. “We’ve been around him a lot, so we wanted to get him something special. He’s meant a lot, not only to this organization but to the entire NFL.”

Tatupu closes in on history

With seven tackles in Sunday’s game at Arizona, linebacker Lofa Tatupu would become the second player in franchise history to put together four consecutive 100-tackle seasons.

What makes the feat more remarkable is that Tatupu will have done it in his first four NFL seasons.

This will mark the first time in his career that Tatupu has not been named to the Pro Bowl, as injuries have affected his performance. He missed a game for the first time in his career last month, sitting out the Philadelphia game because of a groin injury. Tatupu has also played most of the season with a cast on his hand after suffering a thumb injury at training camp.

The only Seahawks player to record four straight 100-tackle seasons was linebacker Terry Beeson, who did it from 1977 through 1980. While Tatupu has led the team in tackles all four seasons, Beeson did it only three times.

Tatupu is the first Seahawks player since linebacker Chad Brown (1997-99) to post three consecutive 100-tackle seasons. He has a team-high 93 tackles through 15 games.

Burleson ready for 2009

Wide receiver Nate Burleson said Monday he has no set timetable for his return, but said he is “ahead of schedule” and expects to be on the field when training camp begins next August.

“It’s going good,” he said.

Burleson has been out since tearing a knee ligament in the regular-season opener Sept. 7. He has gone through a rigorous rehabilitation that should continue well into the off-season.

Next week, Burleson said, he will begin running.

“I’m going to be back way before expected,” he said. “I won’t have to worry about it getting too close to the season.”

Burleson identified the hardest part of sitting out most of this season.

“Watching the fall of Seattle sports in 2008 was tough for me, especially being a guy who’s from Seattle,” Burleson said. “Losing the Sonics, the college (football) teams, the Mariners and then us. My job is to do whatever I can in 2009 to make people not think about 2008.”